Story of a Cannon Fodder who Firmly Believed He was the Protagonist, Misunderstood the Actual Protagonist as the Cannon Fodder, and Ended up Victorious

Translator: Tsukii

Editor: Sour

Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 53 – Beast VS Beastman [A]

Round Table Heroes – Original Timeline

 

The illustration of the protagonists, Arthur and Tlue, was displayed on a large scale. When the music ended, the screen switched. 

New Game 

Continue ◀

 

――Chapter 8 – The beginning of a certain end

 

The earth shook, its rattling and quaking gradually getting bigger. The earth’s tremor continued for several minutes, but the shaking gradually subsided and the earth regained its original calmness. 

 

“There have been a lot of tremors lately.” 

“You’re right…”

“Do you know why there’s been so many earthquakes lately, Arthur?”

“Because it’s about to begin… the awakening…”

 

Bouran asked Arthur next to her. Arthur looked into the distance with her emotionless doll-like eyes. 

“Bouran, you’re going on a mission soon, right?” 

“Oh, it seems there was a sinister art detected near my hometown.”

“I see, please be careful… the people in our generation… tons of them have already died after all.”

“The only ones left… are me, Arthur, Tlue… and that fellow known as Fay, right?”

“Yes… because there are only 4 people left in our generation… Please make sure not to die, Bouran.”

“Of course! I’m not going to die.”

 

People in their generation died one after another and now, there were only 4 people left. That was why at the very least, Arthur didn’t want Bouran to die. 

Bouran grinned and gave a peace sign toward Arthur. Arthur also responded and gave a peace sign to her. 

Then the mission day for Bouran came. 

 

“Okay, let’s go!” 

“Yes, Bouran-san. Please take care of me.”

When Bouran raised her hand in front of the royal capital, Tlue greeted her with a wry smile. But they still couldn’t leave. 

 

“Both Fay and the accompanying paladin haven’t come yet, so I guess we won’t be going just yet. It’s just a maybe, but perhaps Fay won’t come.” 

“Fay is the fellow from our generation, right?”

“Yes… I heard that he’s been hanging out with suspicious people lately.”

 

In the original timeline, Fay gradually refused to interact with others… Occasionally, he was seen interacting with suspicious people, distancing himself from his own generation. There were many times he didn’t even show up for the missions. 

 

“So Fay won’t be coming, well, not that I care!” 

“But the accompanying paladin, which is supposed to be Vai-senpai, should be coming. I never talked to him, but he is supposed to be a competent second grade paladin. It is said that he is also a rigid and strict person.”

 

“――It seems all of you have been gathered.”

 

A deep voice spoke to Tlue and Bouran. The person who came up to them was a man in his 30s, his blue paladin uniform old and frayed. 

His eyes were sharp and he wore an air that had experienced many scenes of carnage. He was wearing glasses, which he adjusted with one hand. 

 

“Um, Fay isn’t here yet.” 

“If it’s him, there’s no problem even if he doesn’t come. He isn’t a strong paladin to begin with, so things won’t change even whether he is there or not.”

“Is that so…?”

“His problematic behavior and escaping mid-mission have been confirmed many times. That person called Fay will probably be expelled soon. You don’t have to care about such a person.”

 

He declared that sharply. After Fay was declared to be absent, Tlue nodded quietly without saying anything more. 

 

“Then let’s go to the mission. Since the destination will be the Beast(beastman) Village, I will leave the role of the guide to you, Bouran-san.” 1 

“So that’s the reason I was assigned to this mission… I didn’t want to go back , but I guess it can’t be helped.”

 

Bouran took the lead and headed for the beastman village. While defeating demons on the way, they arrived at their destination in about two hours. As they arrived, Vai opened his mouth again. 

 

“I think both of you have heard about it, but dark art has been confirmed to be around this area many times. The darkness is supposed to be possessed only by the abyss, so there is a high possibility that they will be in the vicinity. I heard that both of you are competent.” 

 

“However! Be careful.” 

“Ou!!”

“Yes.”

 

Bouran and Tlue replied. They pushed their way through trees and grass. Then they found a bleeding beastman. 

 

“Are you okay…?” 

“You, are?”

“My name is Vai, a second grade paladin. Recently, it is said that dark art is found in this vicinity, so we were dispatched here. Is the abyss responsible for those wounds?”

“No, you’re wrong. It’s the chief of beastmen… Lucdy…”

“Lucdy, isn’t that my father…?”

 

Bouran’s eyes widened when she heard her father’s name was mentioned. The injured beastman began to speak. 

 

“Recently, a man wearing black robes called Molgan and an old man came, and the chief has become strange since. He became increasingly mad and ferocious… to the point he attacked us as well.” 

“So that’s how it is…”

“I have no idea if it is dark art, but ominous art could be felt from the chief.”

“It’s hard to believe it’s coming from a person, but… Tlue-kun, Bouran-san, we should be going. It seems we don’t have much time…”

 

Dark clouds were gathering in the sky and the way the wind blew made it creepier. Abyss hardly appeared when the sun was out. However, they just happened to not like sunlight, so it didn’t mean they couldn’t be active during the day. 

Vai had been a paladin for many years, so he was thinking about it. However, hearing that dark art exuded from a person, he thought things were going to become troublesome. 

The three headed to the village but discovered a wasteland instead. There should have been many houses before, but all the roofs and walls of any home were shattered. 

 

“Tlue-kun, can you see anything over there…?” 

“Y-yes… that’s…”

 

There was a beastman with cracks all over his body. It had wolf-like ears and sharp fangs, and while it looked like a human, it couldn’t conceal its wild instinct. However, there was sinister art overflowing from the male beastman’s body. 

 

“Guguu, I aaahhh, Power, overflowing… art, is in my hand…” 

“Vai-senpai, doesn’t that beastman seem to be absorbing art…?”

“Yes, it seems he is absorbing art from us.”

“…That thing is no longer human. My father sure fell so low. He was already shitty to begin with, though…”

“Eh, that one is Bouran-san’s father? You mean… that thing?”

“That’s right, Tlue. He looks like he’s gotten quite crazy now, but he is technically my father. His name is Lucdy… he’s really the worst.” 

 

The art concentrated on the man named Lucdy, or at least the person who was once Lucdy. More and more art gathered, forming an air vortex around him. 

 

“It seems we need to deal with this as soon as possible. If this continues, our art will be sucked dry.” 

“I agree.”

“…Me too.”

“Then as soon as I give the signal――”

 

――Vai was at a loss for words in an instant.

 

With wild instinct, Lucdy’s gaze turned toward the three and he glared at them as if he sensed the incoming danger. Without saying a word, he roared and attacked. 

The three unsheathed their swords as if their plan was discovered and fought back. Bouran jumped out first and swung her sword. 

 

“This is for my mo- ugh.” 

 

Bouran’s sword was smashed by Lucdy’s claws, which pierced all the way to Bouran’s body, ripping it up. Before they could even blink, they could see a large mark clawed into her, head to torso, blood was gushing out. 

 

“Bouran-san!” 

“Hahahah!! Power, is overflowing…”

“gh!!”

 

Tlue’s blood boiled over Bouran’s death. Vai also slashed at Lucdy, but he also couldn’t do much and his limbs got torn apart. 

 

“Ah, YOU!” 

[“Just use it, my power.”]

 

When his anger reached boiling point, Tlue lost his consciousness the next moment. When he woke up, the village had been destroyed. The wreckage of the house, the roof and walls, were scattered when they first arrived, but not even that remained. 

Even Lucdy had been destroyed, only a few bits of his flesh remained, scattered about. It ended up as a rumor of a strange incident that only one paladin, Tlue, survived. 

 

“What… did I…” 

 

Tlue was slowly becoming aware of his power. It was a strange and deep darkness, the everlasting power of darkness. He was terrified that his ability might swallow himself from inside out. 

And then… 

 

“You are Tlue-kun, right?” 

“You are?”

“I am a first grade paladin. My name is――”

 

A new story began.


Want early access to Executed Sage, Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer, and I Was a Man Before Reincarnating, So I Refuse a Reverse Harem? Support the translator on Patreon!

Also, Tsukii has picked up a new series called “A Story of a Cannon Fodder who Firmly Believed He was the Protagonist, Misunderstood the Actual Protagonist as the Cannon Fodder, and Ended up Victorious!” The title really says it all. Early access to more chapters for this story is available on Patreon.

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Carrion
Carrion
1 year ago

Bouran die just like that?

Rein
Rein
1 year ago

….That was hella insane fast for bouran to die, well at least she didn’t suffer the pain? Cuz it instant death and development is typical cliche ehhhhh, although that ability to drain art are useless against fay and will just end up cause that piece of trash of father to get crush by PURE physicality of Protagonist Fay